


Blessing's Tears

by MoonDash21



Category: Fairy Tail
Genre: Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Loss, Lucy sad, Natsu is a total softy, Rain, Remembrance, Romance, angsty
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-07
Updated: 2018-10-07
Packaged: 2019-07-27 20:41:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,675
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16226954
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MoonDash21/pseuds/MoonDash21
Summary: It's the day Lucy's father passed away. She visits his grave every year on the same day, today is no different. Lucy goes alone, she never lets anyone go with her. Honestly, Natsu respects that, sometimes you need to be alone. But he can't help but feel like this year, Lucy may need him there more than ever.





	Blessing's Tears

**Author's Note:**

> Wow, I normally just write huge stories with multiple page long chapters but this is entirely new to me! I have no idea what inspired this but I just had to write a short story! I love NaLu. Hate me if you want but Natsu and Lucy are golden together. You know, Natsu acts tough but he's just a big cute cinnamon roll. And Lucy is sweet, so she's the creamy icing on top! Anyway, this will probably suck but I'm hoping it will pump me back into my writing groove. I have to finish my Doctor Strange fanfiction series before I jump fully into my Fairy Tail one. (Just a heads up.) Also, grammar errors may be present, don't be afraid to shoot me a comment if I missed anything! Enjoy the cruddy romance!

Today it was raining.

Dark and ominous clouds boiled in the sky above the Guild Hall of Fairy Tail. Thunder shook the sky and the earth and the air smelled of conflict. The electricity in the air spiking and jolting the senses of a young Dragon Slayer, who was already wary to begin with. The hair on his neck stood on end and his senses were alert. He could practically taste the dread filling his lungs.

For some odd reason, Natsu could not sit still. The mess hall was too quiet, too empty. Most of the members decided to stay home today and wait out the vicious storm. Natsu wasn't afraid of no storm but he still couldn't help the feeling of trepidation building in his gut.

Maybe it was because Lucy wasn't here. Everyone seemed happier when she was around. She lit up the room like a candle in the darkness. There was just something about her that made everyone want to talk, to mingle, to brawl, to laugh. It swelled his chest with a strange feeling. Natsu couldn't quite place the feeling but it felt good... He supposed.

Happy, Mirajane, Lisanna, Elfman, and Makarov were the only ones in the cluster of tables with Natsu. They were also unusually quiet. Natsu wondered if they felt it too. That underlying tension stirring within their gut. Or maybe it was just him but he always felt like that during this time of the year. It was that time of year when Lucy left to go see her mother and father's grave. She always left alone and always came back alone. When she came back, she would sulk for a few days and then be her old sassy and loud self.

With a twist of remorse, Natsu realized just how dull his life would be without the shouting blonde. Maybe he should've gone with her this year because today, that feeling of... Whatever it was! Loneliness? Yeah, loneliness, just kept creepin' in and leavin' him sad and-- Worried.

Natsu shook his head and rubbed his eyes for a moment.

What was his problem? He needed to get his crap together, it was only for a day. Lucy would be fine, she was always fine when she went on this trip. Today was no different.

Another clap of thunder shook the foundations of the Fairy Tail Guild Hall. Natsu, despite himself, yelped a little. He jumped in his seat with muscles tense and eyes wide. Elfman burst into laughter, commenting something about how real men don't get scared by a little thunder. Then immediately after, Elfman screamed like a girl after an even louder beat of thunder snapped in the heavens above. Everyone started laughing then, even Natsu.

 _Pssh, some man._ He thought, laughing to himself but he stopped. There was something odd about his laugh. Why didn't it feel real? Why was it hollow? Natu's brows knit together as he tried to think about it. It was already hurting his brain. Why couldn't he wrap his mind around a simple feeling or lack thereof?

"Natsu...?"

Natsu looked down at Happy who was gazing at him anxiously with large eyes.

"Yeah, buddy?" Natsu replied.

"Are you okay? You seem really sad today." Happy pointed out, reaching out to hug Natu's arm and rest his head on it. "Is it because of Lucy?"

Natsu sat in a moment of silence, feeling Happy's soft trimmed fur rubbing against his skin. It felt warm and safe. It reminded him of Lucy, that one day when she had grabbed his arm with tears in her eyes. But she looked so relieved, so happy. Her smile and her tears completely contradicted each other. Her hugs were the best. They always made him feel warm and safe and wonderful and--

He shook his head to clear his thoughts. Where was all this mushy gushy crap coming from?

"No, no, Happy. I don't think it's because of Lucy." Natsu finally answered.

"You think or you know?" He asked.

Natsu paused for a moment. _What an interesting thought! Sometimes Happy blows my mind!_

His mind reeled around the question but never came around to an answer. In fact, the only thing running through his thoughts was Lucy. Lucy this, Lucy that. How was she doing? Was she alright? Was she crying? What if her train stopped because of a broken track? WHAT IF SHE SUDDENLY GOT MOTION SICKNESS AND HAD TO BE DUMPED OFF IN THE MIDDLE OF NOWHERE!? Wait... He thought about that a little more and deemed it highly unlikely to happen to Lucy. To him? There was probably a ninety-nine percent chance that it would. Natsu, unfortunately, couldn't stop the 'what if's' from tumbling in his mind. No matter how much he tried to think about something else, Lucy would just pop back up. Not even the thought of food could distract him.

Natsu got up from the chair and smiled down at Happy. "Hey, little buddy. Whattya say about going for walk?" Natsu suggested. A walk was exactly what he needed to clear his head.

"In the rain?" Happy asked looking out the front window.

Natsu's shoulders drooped and his hopes faded away. He had forgotten it was raining terribly outside. And it was bad, really bad. Juvia had previously tried to part the clouds but wasn't able to. Said something about 'It needs to rain. If the rain wants to rain, let it rain' or something along those lines. It really stunk, hopefully, it wasn't raining in Acalypha where the Love & Lucky Guild was. That's where Lucy was too and it would suck if she had to visit her parent's in the rain.

Natsu didn't know what it was like. To have to visit your parents grave, to cry over them and remember them. Natsu remembered Igneel but he couldn't cry for Igneel. Igneel was a dragon and Natsu didn't really know his birth parents very well. He couldn't quite understand the pain but at least he knew what it was like to lose loved ones. Right now, the rain sounded better than staying inside all day thinking about Lucy.

Natsu perked up and smiled widely at Happy.

"Sure! Why not? A little rain never hurt anyone!" He said gleefully. Happy's ears rose and a grin pulled up from his frown.

"Aye, sir!" Happy cheered, transforming into his wings and hovering at Natsu's side. Natsu yelped with happiness and bolted to the door. He could hear the others laughing at him as he left. Natsu could've sworn that they yelled something about catching a cold outside but he wasn't worried about that! He was a tough Fire Dragon Slayer. Fire Dragon Slayers never caught colds!

He laughed and shoved the doors open. A powerful blast of icy wind nearly knocked him back. It surprised him and ruffled his hair and clothes. He hollered into the wind and jumped out into the pouring rain, splashing his way down the cobblestone path. The large puddle beneath him nearly went up to his ankles but that didn't stop him from splashing the crap outta them! Happy joined in the fun, drenching his cobalt fur with soaking run and mud.

They laughed and cheered, even as goosebumps formed on their skin and shivers racked their bodies. This felt better than the inside. The sharp cold set his mind straight. Made him less anxious and more overly enthusiastic. Something about cold always excited his nerves. Whether it was in irritation, fury, happiness or just plain stupidity. The cold made the other sides of Natsu shine in ways he wasn't too excited about most of the time. Except for this one (and fighting Gray). THIS ONE MADE HIM SUPER EXCITED!

"Hey Happy!" Natsu shouted to his buddy who was rolling in a mud puddle.

"Yeah?!" Happy replied, coming out of the mud, the thick and bubbly brown substance sticking and sliding down his fur. Happy didn't even look like a blue Exceed anymore! He was more like a walking landslide with small twigs sticking up on top of his head.

"Bet ya I can roll down that hill faster than you!" Natsu challenged, pointing a finger at a grassy and muddy slope. It looked super dangerous and that was exactly the point. It was pointed away from Magnolia so if things got out of hand he wouldn't wreck anything. Or get a beating from Erza. He didn't know which one scared him more. No. Erza scared him more. _WAY_ more.

"You're on!"

Natsu howled with delight and ran towards the hill off of the stone path of Magnolia. Of course, his sandle hit a patch of mud that was more like ice but it was definitely mud because it sank between his toes. His foot slipped and sent him tumbling down the hill way earlier than he'd wanted to. He heard Happy shout something about cheating but he couldn't stop himself now! He was rolling and there was no stopping him! After a while of falling down the muddy slope, he began to feel a little nauseous. Uh oh. Natsu hadn't accounted for the fact that going down the hill might trigger his motion sickness.

"Aw, maaaan!" Natsu shouted between facefuls of wet earth and grass. He felt his gut get stabbed by a rock and he let out an oof. Finally, he slid to a long and painful stop against another stone street of the town. He groaned and lifted himself to his knees. Natsu made a pouty face when he looked at his clothes. They were coated in a thick sheet of blotchy black mud and even the rain wasn't washing it off. He stood up and tried wiping it off with his hands but only resulted in smearing it more. He gritted his teeth and tried to wipe faster. Much to Natsu's dismay, that made it worse!

He roared in frustration and gave up, slapping his hands on his thighs.

"Uh oh, you ruined the shirt and pants that Lucy bought you, Natsu." Happy commented, a sad look on his face.

Natsu huffed and hung his head, defeated. "Yeah, she's gonna kill me when she gets back." He moaned. "Oh no. It's like I can smell her already."

"Must be the guilt kicking in." Happy noted.

"Yeah..." Natsu furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. He sniffed the air again. He smelled the muddy earth, water, rain, lightning, trees, shoes, stone, puddles, Happy, random people, baked goods, smoked turkey, girl, Lucy... Lucy? LUCY! He smelled Lucy! Her vanilla scent was still fresh in the air. But that made no sense. She left hours ago on a train and the pouring water from the sky should've washed away the smell a long time ago. So how was it that was so strong? "No, wait. Happy, I actually smell Lucy."

Happy sighed hopelessly. "Maybe you hit your head on a rock on the way down here, Natsu. Lucy left early this morning, remember?"

"No, no, Happy." Natsu looked at the flying cat with bright eyes. "I _smell_ Lucy. She's _here_!"

"Oh no! He's gone delusional! What am I gonna do?!" Happy cried up to the clouded sky.

"I'm standing right here, bud!" Natsu snapped. Happy flinched and calmed down. "I'm tellin' you, I smell Lucy. She's close by, I swear she is. My nose has never been wrong."

"Okay, let's say you _are_ right. Why would she still be here? She should be at Acalypha by now." Happy said.

Natsu rolled up his muddy sleeves and stood up straight. "Let's go find out."

He inhaled sharply, the scents of the outside overwhelming his senses. One scent was the clearest, though and that was the sweet perfume of Lucy. It tickled his nose and made his skin prickle with passion. He loved a good chase and good ol' Lucy Heartfillia had given him one. Natsu took off running down the road, leaving Happy behind momentarily. He followed his nose and his heart, it thumped in his chest and warmed his chilled blood. It felt good to run after something with this much determination and focus.

Natsu leaped over crates and tables, not even once stopping to apologize for some valuables that were knocked over. The thrill of the hunt was pulsing through his veins and urged him on through the icy rain pelting his skin and the mud slipping into his eyes. Every so often, Natsu would have to blink to be able to see clearly. He didn't care much about it. Natsu could run blind and always find her.

He noticed he was reaching the end of Magnolia, the markets and restaurants fading into the background behind him. Natsu let his pace slow down a bit as he started to tread on slippery mud instead of slick stone. One wrong move and he could end up ruining his shirt and pants even more. As his heart raced, so did his thoughts. Swirling and churning, as restless as the storm above. It seemed the more Natsu thought about the possibility of Lucy still being in Magnolia, the more uneasy he became. Something must've happened to keep her from going to visit her mother and father's grave.

Natsu clenched his teeth and put on the brakes suddenly. He grunted as his arms flailed around him trying to regain his balance. Once he did, he stopped to look up.

Against the brewing storm clouds sat a lone girl, gazing out against a windblown field of flowers. Her blonde hair whipped around her face which was turned away from Natsu. He could tell who the girl was without even looking at her face. The way she sat, the way she breathed, the way she smelled, the way she moved, it was all familiar to him. He knew it was Lucy the moment he could see the golden strands of hair in his vision. Natsu held his breath. She wasn't moving, just sitting there. Lucy was still wearing the black dress that she had earlier in the morning before the storm rolled in.

Natsu's skin prickled with goosebumps and he shivered. How was she not cold? Lucy was soaking wet from head to toe. She was wetter than he was! He didn't exactly know what to do. She looked sad, she always looked sad on this day. Why was she here? He had to know that part. Natsu just hoped he wouldn't get slapped for asking. Her slaps actually hurt worse than the pointed fangs of a dragon. He should know, he's felt both.

"Lucy..?" He asked softly against the howling wind. She heard him but didn't move an inch. Natsu walked forward slowly. "Hey, are you okay?"

Not a sound.

Happy stayed behind as Natsu stood by Lucy's still side. He didn't dare look down, just stared ahead against the dark horizon. Lightning broke the sky and thunder shook his bones. His brows were drawn down in concentration as he tried to figure out what Lucy was staring at. He finally had the courage to look down and his breath caught in his chest.

Lucy's face pale and wet, rain slipping down her red cheeks like tears or perhaps, those were tears. Her yellow bangs hung limply over her eyes, concealing them with a dark shadow. Darker than the clouds in the sky. It was painful to watch her just look lifelessly into nothing, he had to turn his head. If he peered at her any longer, he too would begin to feel a darkness surrounding his heart. Natsu could already feel the working of sadness and worry etching away at his chest. It was a pain he did not want to endure.

"N-Natsu?"

Hope swelled in his darkened gaze and he glanced down again. Lucy was finally shivering, her teeth clenched angrily. Her voice was rough and tired like she had been crying for a long time. Maybe she had been, he wouldn't be surprised. Natsu sat down beside her, an arm slung over his knee. He was close enough to her to let Lucy know he was there but not close enough to invade her space.

"Why...do bad things have to happen to good people?" Lucy said, lifting her head, revealing her eyes. He felt a jolt of concern reverberate through his body. Her deep chocolate eyes were bloodshot and filled with unshed tears. Her voice was shaking and it was full of anger. Natsu had to admit, she looked scary. The storm clouds rolled deep beneath her eyelids and showed him what torment bothered her soul. He wished he could chase her rain clouds away. Beat the living crap out of them until the left and the sun came out. Natsu hated seeing Lucy sad, it made him mad. Especially since he was no good at making people feel better.

"I don't know" He tried to say but her hand gripped his wrist tightly. Warmth surged from his arm to his cheeks and he could feel his face flushing.

"My parents... They were such good people. My mom was the best woman alive. My dad, even though he was rough around the edges, was a caring father. I have saved this land so many times I've lost count. But even good people are taken away and even good people are punished. It doesn't make any sense." Her voice rose against the wind and her cry mingled with the howling groans of nearby trees. It rattled his soul and brought tears to his eyes. "Why does life have to steal so much from people who make it better?!"

One of her hands was holding his wrist with white knuckles and the other was covering her face. Lucy's back jerked up and down with sobs. Natsu couldn't stand to watch her cry so he pulled her cold and wet body against his own. He hadn't accounted for the mud on this clothes but Lucy didn't seem to mind. She was too busy crying. He understood her pain. He really did and he had an answer. He just didn't know exactly how to say it. How could Natsu explain something like this without screwing it up? 

"Well..." He started warily. "You, um, you know how you can't really see a candle's flame in daylight?" 

"Natsu," Lucy growled softly. "Is this really the time to be talking about candles?"

"No, shh, just listen for a sec." Natsu shushed politely. She grumbled but didn't interrupt him any further so he continued. "So, imagine that the candle's flame is all the good people in the world and the daylight's all the good stuff that can happen to that person. You can't really see those good people if they're always covered by the good things that life has to offer. So, now, the night is all the bad stuff that happens. You can see the candle in the dark, right?" 

"Yes..." 

"Well, all the bad stuff happens and you can see the good people now and appreciate them. Maybe that's why bad things happen to good people. Because they glow brighter in the dark... Does that make any sense? Like, goodness can only come from bad and happiness can only come if you've felt tears?" He asked, resting his head on hers. "It probably doesn't. I don't think about this kind of thing a lot and I know how extremely stupid I can be all the time. So I get if you're angry now than you were before—“

"No, no!" Lucy interrupted. Squeezing Natu's hand affectionately. "I get it, I understand. In fact, that wasn't stupid at all. That was... really smart, Natsu." 

Natsu felt the blood return to his cheeks and he hid his head so she wouldn't see him blushing. He coughed loudly. "Yeah, yeah, um, thanks." 

Lucy chuckled a little and smiled. It was small but it was enough to light up his whole world. "I get it now... Sometimes the blessings of life can only be shown through the tears we shed. Thank you, Natsu. I needed to hear that." 

He didn't respond, just gazed focused at the mountains that lay before them with jagged snowy peaks. Small beams of light were finally poking from behind the black clouds. They dotted the meadow and opened the petals of thousands of flowers. They rose to the sky and stretched almost like they had been asleep for a hundred years. Their colors exploded and brought life to the grass and gleamed like a rainbow on the ground. Natsu held his breath as Lucy snuggled against his arm. He felt like he was going to explode into a fiery mess. His heart was beating a million miles a minute and he could barely breathe. She was so close to him right now, so close he could hear her own heartbeat which was beating as fast as his. 

They sat like this for a long time until the last of the rain clouds disappeared and the sun shone down on them. Their frozen and wet limbs accepted the warmth of the sun and the feeling of peace. Lucy was completely relaxed against him, gazing out into the distance with Natsu, her fingers twined in his. Natsu liked this, he could sit here for eternity with her if he chose to. 

He finally smiled and lifted his head to look into the shining sun.

 _It looks like life is finally awarding the good with a little ray of sunshine of their own. Proof that darkness will always lead to the light._ He thought with silent contentment. 

"OOOOH!! THEY LOOOOVE EACH OTHER!" Happy cooed from behind them. Natsu and Lucy twitched at the same time, they both forgot the blue cat was watching them.

"SHUT UP HAPPY!" They yelled in unison and then laughed in unison. He and Lucy stood, looking at each other with large smiles on their face and their hearts full of glee. Together, they walked to Magnolia, hand in hand. Leaving behind the rain clouds and stepping into the blessing it brought. 

**Author's Note:**

> Wow! I can not believe how many people actually like this short story! It makes me so happy! I've got a question for all my readers. I have another idea for a story for Fairy Tail but I can't decide if I want to make it just a little one-shot like this one or a larger story with multiple chapters. The short story would be about as long as this one and the longer story would probably have more than ten chapters. I can't tell you the plot because that's cheating but either way, I promise, it's gonna be good. I can develop and add a lot more in the longer story. If you guys are interested, comment down below which one I should do! I'm looking forward to what you all have to say. 
> 
> ~ MoonDash21


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